A.N.: Ok, I have cut yet another chapter because the other part still needs some work but I decided to post this part and I'll post the rest later on this week as another chapter.

Thank you so much for reviewing, life may be crazy now but I will continue to make time for Sam and Bella because each and every review keeps me going when I might have given into putting this story on hold.


Chapter 11


"There is no getting around it, Sam Uley. Your imprint is your mate." Old Quil glares at him, his quavery voice unshakeable for once. "It's in the legends…"

"Fuck the legends!" Sam burst out, unleashing his impatience from the continuous refrain he's been forced to listen to; the legends' word is law and how dare Sam Uley break it.

His wolf growling from the cage of his tense sturdy body, Sam moves about the still, small room like the beast he inherently is, the bare sinewy muscles of his chest and arms flexing with his agitated pacing. Fresh from a run, he's clad only in his signature cut off denim having came straight to the meeting with the Quileute Elders after a quick dip in a forest stream. The clear, cold drops of water needed no toweling off, having quickly evaporated from his heated skin.

A quick glance around reveals numerous stares pinned to the ground, on the walls, on fumbling hands.

Anywhere but at him.

He can actually smell the taint of numbing fear in the room. He hates the scent but the wolf in him is nourished by it, the cold aroma satisfying his rabid appetite. Dominant bastard that he is, the wolf actually relishes their fear. But Sam's human nature is an even more dominant bastard than his wolfen side.

Taking a deep calming breath, he pushes his other side back.

In a tone lowered several octaves from his outburst, he says, "Look, I understand that's what's recorded in the wolves' history. But it doesn't explain why I haven't…acted on the imprint. It's been six months and the furthest thing I feel is this mating pull you keep talking about." Sam tapers off into contemplative silence as he realizes he does feel that pull. Only it isn't for Emily…

Since he'd phased, the wolf is fully merged to him, bonded even closer in his flesh than any vital organ. He isn't just Sam anymore, having to share his mind with his wolf. The wolf's wants are his wants.

And oh man, the wolf wants Bella. Her scent seems like oxygen to him...

"Why are you questioning the gift of the gods, Sam Uley?"

Sam barely stops himself from rolling his eyes at the Elder's question. He's had enough of that gift crap shoved down his throat since he'd phased.

Oh look, you changed into a huge ass wolf, there's a gift. You have to live the rest of your life in one place, another goddamned life-long gift. And he didn't even want to think about imprinting on Emily…he's supposed to just ride off into the sunset with his ex-lover's cousin for heaven's sake…

If those were gifts of the gods, he didn't want to see the curses. The thing is, he loves his wolf now but he hadn't in the beginning. And he is still trying to come to terms with the circumstances and consequences of being a legend come to life. And so it is with the entire pack as well, all of them still having to acclimatize to being wolves …

The Elders consider the recorded history of the wolf legends sacrosanct, their own personal bible of reference. They certainly hadn't taken well to his opposition of their imprint belief. And as it so happens, he's the only wolf to imprint so far so there isn't even another example to refer to.

Like facing the unknown rigors of being the first wolf to phase, Sam knows he has to work his way through this new conundrum on his own. Being the benchmark for future wolves is no picnic in the park.

"As I was saying, I imprinted months ago and I still don't feel the way everyone expects me to. When I imprinted on Emily, I was in pretty much the darkest stage of my life. I mean I was seriously contemplating suicide in those first two weeks…I didn't want to live as a beast, as something that I thought I couldn't control. But I'll admit that by helping her, I really helped myself."Sam says, deciding not to reveal the exact details of why she needed his help.

"I don't know, it's like helping her with her own struggle pulled me back from the brink of going crazy, helping her brought me back in touch with the reality that despite the wolf, I'm still human. Emily's problems drew me away from the insanity of my wolf nature. It was like helping her made me remember that I was still human."

He takes a quick glance at the Elders. Sue Clearwater is staring at him, her expression one of expectancy. As if she's prepared to hear the part where Sam falls in love with Emily and they live happily ever after. He snorts at the thought. If life is simple, that might have been the case.

But the pull to help Emily is a totally different pull to what he feels now. His wolf had been pretty much dormant when Emily approached him, quite unlike how he responds to Bella…

And since finding her in the woods, he can't bring himself to care how complicated things might get.

"Emily and I are just friends…" Sam adds softly.

"Are you quite sure about that?" Sue asks pointedly with an odd look.

Sam's laboring patience takes another skitter down the mountain of agitation he's been climbing since being in this meeting.

"I'm quite sure." He says firmly.

The older woman narrows her eyes slightly as if in disbelief.

His patience has landed flat on its ass at the foot of that mountain now. His private life is a buffet laid before these Elders all in the name of legendary duty and that fact alone leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I do however, that is my wolf and I, feel this…deep pull." To describe the connection he feels to Bella as a mating pull as the Elders are inclined to do, lead his thoughts down pathways he doesn't want to focus on now…

Old Quil nods encouragingly until Sam adds, "But not to Emily." Sam repeats painstakingly. Why is this so hard fro them to understand? Are the words of long dead wolves more relevant than a living one?

"She is your imprint. You shouldn't feel this way about any other…"

"Yes I know, according to the legends." Sam interrupts abruptly. "How about this…instead of sticking your heads in an outdated journal, why don't you face the facts as they stand now? I imprinted but I don't feel any…mating connection as expected with an imprint. I've done some research on wolves and while we're not typical wolves because of our human shape shifting, I think a few basic rules still apply. At least some that make more sense than the journal. What I feel for Bella is a distinct pull very similar to what a wolf goes through when he scents his mate…"

"Wait. Bella? Not Bella Swan?" A sharp question from Billy. Jacob's father had listened silently during this meeting but now his ebony eyes bored into Sam with an unrelenting, almost accusing glare.

The look of outright scolding in Billy's gaze draws another ominous rumble. Sam growls low but the timbre of it vibrates through every inch of the room. Drawing himself up to his full height, he meets the chief's eyes squarely. "Yes. Bella Swan…" He says clearly for their benefit.

Sue regards him with a "what have you done, you fool?" expression on her angular face while Old Quil shakes his head.

"Bella Swan? Isn't that the…outsider? The one who'd taken up with those creatures who moved away not too long ago?" The old man looked scandalized. For a second, Sam thought he was going to call her Paul's adage of leech lover.

"Did you reveal anything to her?" Sue asks.

"No…" Sam ground out between his teeth. "Not yet…"

"Not yet? Not ever. No one outside of the reservation except imprints, can know of the wolves. Certainly not one who was in line with the very creatures that caused you to be what you are." Old Quil intones imperiously.

Another growl escapes Sam, a deeper one this time. He doesn't like being commanded. Did these Elders think he was a toy or something? Some big furry stuffed puppet whose strings they could pull at will? A cowered look seeps into the Elder's eyes and the wolf sinks back down beneath the surface, momentarily appeased.

"I'm all too aware of the need for secrecy." Sam says distinctly, "But I think Bella deserves to know…"

"What gives you the right to tell her? The fact that you want into her pants?" Billy seethes quietly.

Sam turns his thunderous glare towards Billy. Then he closes his eyes briefly, blowing out a deep breath. "I'm just going to pretend you didn't say that, old man."

"Goddammit boy, that girl is like a daughter to me! You don't know how it feels to sit here and hear you talk having a mating pull to my god daughter who may I remind you, is not your imprint. I'll tell you this much, if the police chief hears of your intent towards her, you'll discover how fast you can heal a bullet wound or two.

"She's just a girl…" Billy shakes his head.

Sam frowns, relaxing a bit at Billy's paternal bent towards Bella. In the face of that, he couldn't remain angry at the chief no matter how much he wants to completely assure everyone that what he feels for Bella is as real and kicking as the passionate animal within him…

"I won't hurt her…" He stresses.

Sue clears her throat delicately, "Excuse me, but I still don't see the relevance of this meeting. Do you want to tell Bella about shape shifting? What if the Cullen family returns? We can't be sure just how much she's still connected to them. I think it'd be unwise to tell her anything."

"More than that you should stay away from her." Billy says with too much authority for Sam's liking. "This…pull you feel might just be a passing whim…"

That's it. Sam has had enough. He won't stand here listening to them dissect his connection to Bella like if he's some impersonal lab rat.

"Fuck this. I'm out." Sam stalks toward the door.

"Sam, we only have your best interest at heart. Don't bring an innocent girl into this. You just can't play around with her like that." Billy calls after him.

Just as he reaches the door, Sam slowly turns to look around at the Elders. "This is not a game to me. And I'm not going to stay away from her to satisfy some ancient Quileute imprinting protocol." He snarls softly before the door slams shut behind him.